Portable spraying device and support



A 10, 1965 H. SCHMIERER 3,199,785

PORTABLE SPRAYING DEVICE AND SUPPORT Filed June 24, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 HEINZ SCHMIERER INVENTOR BY Jim, Ross 6' Jeslzrn 1965 H. SCHMIERER PORTABLE SPRAYING DEVICE AND SUPPORT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 24, 1963 HEINZ SCHMIERER INVENTOR BY Jesizm, ion 8 fl Aug. 10, 1965 H. SCHMIERER 3,199,785

I PORTABLE SPRAYING DEVICE AND SUPPORT Filed June 24, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet Z5 HEINZ SCHMIERER INVENTOR dunk", a 6 Jnbm United States Patent 3,fl%,735 PURTABLE SFRAYENQ DEVEQE AND SUPPQRT Heinz Schmiercr, lviaichingen, Wurtternherg, Germany, assignor to Kleinrnotoren Gnifrffi, Maiehingen, Wurttemberg, Germany Filed =lune 24, 1953, No. 2$9,8S9 fi ings priority, application Germany, dune 26, 1%2, S 8%,079 13 Claims. (Cl. 239-153) The present invention relates to a portable spraying device for the dissemination of finely divided materials in a gas stream and, more particularly, to an apparatus adapted to be carried upon the back of the user and provided with fluid-displacing means together with a prime mover for spraying same.

While it has been proposed, heretofore, to provide spraying devices having a support adapted to be strapped to the back of the individual using the device, a receptacle on the support for the fluid to be dispensed and a prime mover, generally provided with a blower or air-displacement pump for generating a stream of air under pressure to entrain liquids, particles and fluent material in general from the receptacle through a spray head, earlier devices were generally uncomfortable when carried for long periods of time and were composed of so many individual parts which had to be welded or bolted together, that the entire unit was extremely expensive, massive by virtue of the multitudinous joints, and prone to disorder when handled even the least bit roughly. Additional disadvantages of these devices derived from the fact that the receptacle was generally independent of the carrying frame or pack board so that the weight of the entire assembly was excessive and engendered a diminished payload. Further contributions to the weight of these earlier spraying devices arose from the provision of mounting means for the prime mover and blower, metallic reinforcing elements adapted to provide structural rigidity for the support and the brackets necessary to affix the container or receptacle to the support frame. Since the support frame was relatively massive and the prime mover (e.g. an internal combustion engine) was also of considerable weight, a spray apparatus of this type had only limited commercial success.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved spraying device of the general type described above which is of relatively light weight, sturdy and simple of manufacture.

Another object of this invention is to provide a support for the prime mover and/or blower of a spraying device which is constructed of a minimum number of parts and thus is less prone to breakdown in the field but which can be transported on the back of the user for long periods without difiiculty.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide, in a spraying device of this type, improved but relatively inexpensive means for transporting the fluid to be dispensed as well as the means for dispensing it.

These objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, are attained, in accordance with the present invention, by providing a portable support, adapted to be carried upon the back of the user, for a spraying device wherein the support is formed integrally with a receptacle for the fluid to be dispensed. Advantageously, the support is constituted with a mounting member upon which the driving engine and the blower are secured and the receptacle in a single piece, both the mounting portion and the receptacle portion being formed from a synthetic resin. The support can, consequently, be molded from a synthetic resin such as polystyrene, which is shockresistant and can, possibly, even be somewhat resilient so as to be comfortable when resting against the back of the user, the receptacle portion being produced by conventional blow-molding techniques concurrently with the molding of the remainder of the support. Preferably, the mounting portion of the latter comprises a generally flat plate adapted to rest against the back of the user and which may be curved slightly to conform to the configuration of the back.

According to another feature of this invention, the vertical marginal portions of the aforedescribed mounting plate are provided with integral reinforcing members, which can be thickened Zones of synthetic resin or webs molded therefrom when the receptacle portion and the mounting portion of the support are produced. On the mounting plate, integrally formed pedestals can be provided to reinforce the region at which the engine and blower are joined to the support. Preferably the engine and blower form a unitary body of the type more specifically described in commonly assigned copending application Ser. No. 290,116, now US. Patent No. 3,165,256, filed concurrently herewith by Heinz Emmerich. For convenience in transporting the spraying device and to obtain optimum balance of the massive portions thereof, the motor/blower unit can include an annular blower housing mounted upon the aforementioned pedestals while the internal combustion engine, which may be of the onecylinder, two-cycle type, is mounted upon the blower housing with its shaft carrying the blower rotor. As pointed out in this copending application, the large moment of force due to the weight of a conventional ignition system, may be markedly reduced if the magneto of this system is incorporated, at least in part, within a blower housing. To this end, a movable element of this magneto (e.g. a permanent magnet) may be provided on the blower rotor or impeller, which also serves as a flywheel for the engine, while the field coil and its core are juxtaposed with the rotor magnet and mounted within the blower housing. Since the weight of the breaker points is insignificant, they can be accessibly disposed within a removable casing on the rearmost part of the motor shaft, which is provided with the usual cam for operating the breaker points.

Still another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a stand for the spraying device which extends transversely to the mounting plate in the rearward direction so that it underlies the motor/ blower unit whose center of gravity is preferably disposed at a location sufficiently inward of this stand so as to insure stability of the device in an upright condition. The stand may be composed of a U-shaped tube (e.g. of metal) whose shank portions are bent through an angle of and are rigidly embedded within the synthetic resin forming the support. Preferably the shank portions are irnbedded in the thickened marginal zones of the support when the latter is molded. These thickened portions can form with the tubular receptacle a frame spanned by the mounting plate. Between the thickened portion, along the forward surface of this plate, there may be provided a recess adapted to receive a cushion of, for example, foam rubber. The plate can, of course, be provided with formations (e.g. slots) permitting the attachment of the usual shoulder straps or other means for holding the support on the back of the user. Instead of a cushion removably held in a recess between the frame members of the support, the mounting plate can be provided along its front surface with a sheet of cushioning material cemented thereto.

As previously pointed out, the location of the center of gravity of the device and the centers of gravity of its component parts determine the convenience of carrying the apparatus. It has been found that a particularly effective distribution of Weight is attained when the fluidcontaining chamber of the receptacle integral with the mounting plate lies, for the most part, wholly rearwardly thereof, this plate being, in effect, tangential to the receptacle. The motor/blower unit can thus overlie this receptacle so that the center of gravity of the receptacle, when containing liquid, lies vertically above the center of gravity of the motor/blower unit especially when this unit is provided with a magneto disposed within or mounted upon the blower housing. The center of gravity of the entire device should be vertically above the center of the supporting surface defined by the stand.

According to a further aspect of this invention, the support is formed integrally with a further receptacle separated by suitable partition means from the receptacle containing the fiuid to be dispensed, serving as a tank for the fuel. Preferably both receptacles are generally elongated and extend horizontally transversely to the reinforcing webs and thickened zones previously described. The fuel tank should, however, be formed proximal to the motor/ blower unit. Moreover, by the conventional blow-molding methods, the mounting plate can be made hollow and formed with an interior cavity communicating with the receptacle to serve as an additional reservoir for the liquid or powder to be dispensed. In this case it has been found to be desirable to provide reinforcing members bridging the two generally parallel wall portions of the mounting plate at spaced locations so as to minimize any impediment to the flow of the fluent material therethrough. These reinforcing members can serve, simultaneously, as the mounting pedestals for the motor/ blower unit. The

- hollow mounting plate can also act as the fuel receptacle while a tubular fuel tank can be provided along the lower edge of the mounting plate if desired. The reinforcing elements, which also function as pedestals for the motor/blower unit, can have a conical configuration for optimum flow of the material to be dispensed.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily ap parent from the following description, reference being made to the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a rear-elevational view of a spraying device according to the present invention;

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along the lines IA-IA of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a side-elevational view of this device;

FIG. 3 is a rear-elevational view of a modified spraying device with an integrally formed fuel tank;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view through the device of FIG. 3 with the motor/blower unit shown diagrammatically in elevation;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a further modification wherein the mounting plate is generally hollow; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing details of the device of FIG. 5.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, I show a portable sprayer adapted to be mounted upon the back of the user which comprises a support integrally formed from a synthetic resin (such as polystyrene) with a receptacle 1 having a removable cap 2 closing its mouth 1' and a frame 35 upon which a motor/ blower unit 13, 14 is mounted. The back-engaging portion 3 of the support includes a pair of thickened marginal zones 4, serving as main struts and a mounting plate 5 spanning these struts and integral therewith and with the receptacle 1 (as best seen in FIG. 1A). From a structural point of view, the mounting plate 5 functions as the web of a girder or beam profile whose flanges can be considered to be the thickened zones or struts 4. The mounting plate 5 is formed integrally with a plurality of pedestals 6 of frustoconical configuration and formations, such as slots 7 around a rod '7' by means of which the shoulder-engaging carrying straps 8 can be attached to the mounting plate. The carrying straps can be fed through the slots '7, looped around the rod 7' and maintained in this loop arrangement by a strap-adjusting buckle, not shown.

When the entire support, consisting of receptacle 1, struts 4, mounting plate 5, pedestal 6 and formations 7, is formed in the single molding operation, the angularly bent shanks 9 of a stand 1% are imbedded in the thickened zone or struts and are firmly held thereby as shown in broken lines in FIGS. 1 and 2. The shank is a generally U-shaped metal tube whose bight extends parallel to the mountin plate 5 and perpendicularly to the struts 4. The motor/blower unit 13, 14 which is more fully described in the aforementioned copending application, comprises a rotary blower 14 whose mounting lugs 14 are secured by bolts 14" to the pedestal 6 and an inter nal-combustion engine 13 mounted upon the housing of blower 14. Pedestals 6 hold the housing of blower 14 away from plate 5 by a distance sufiicient to permit induction of air into the blower through its axial opening when its radial-vane impeller is rotated by the motor shaft. The air stream from outlet 15 of the blower is connected by a conventional tube to the spray head where it joins a stream conducted thereto by a tube 1 from receptacle 1. The back-contacting wall 12 of the support is molded so as to conform to the contours of the back of the user. Between the struts 4 (FIG. 1A) a resilient cushion 12' can be provided. It will be noted that the center of gravity of the device lies within the confines of stand 19 and preferably at about the midpoint of the support surface defined by the stand.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, the receptacle 1a is integral with the support but separated from a fuel tank 16 also integral therewith, by a partition 16a, both containers extending longitudinally along the upper edge of the mounting plate 5a, As in the case of the embodiment previously described, this mounting plate is provided with slots 7a to which the shoulder straps can be secured and the blower 14a upon which is mounted the engine 13a. The latter is provided with a gasifier or vaporizer 2641 as is conventional in two-stroke engines, this carburetor being connected with the fuel tank 16a by means of a fuel line 1912 having a shutolf valve 19a. An inlet 18 with its cap 18a permits the filling of the fuel tank. Again the thickened portions 4a of the frame have the shanks 9a of the stand 11a embedded therein while a cover 2a is provided for the receptacle 1a for the fluid to be dispensed. Intermediate the receptacles 1a and 16 along the vertical edges of the support, there are provided reinforcing ribs 17 to prevent strains from arising at the location at which the receptacles are integral with the mounting plate 5a. Similar ribs 17a reinforce the junction between fuel tank 16 and the mounting plate.

In the Sprayers of FIGS. 5 and 6, the receptacle 1b communicates with the interior of the back-engaging plate Sb whose generally parallel walls 22 and 23 are spaced apart by frustoconical reinforcing elements 21, at least some of which can serve as pedestals 6b for securing the motor/blower unit 13b, 14b to the hollow mounting plate 51). One such pedestal is indicated at 24 in FIG. 6. In this case an outlet tube 112 serves to conduct the fluid to be dispensed from the receptacle 1b, 5b to the spray nozzle. The stand 9b, 11b is, of course, also provided.

The invention described and illustrated is believed to permit of many modifications within the ability of persons skilled in the art, all such modifications being considered within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A unitary support for a portable spraying device, comprising a mounting plate adapted to rest against the back of a user, a pair of marginal struts integral with said mounting plate along opposite lateral edges thereof, and a receptacle integral with said mounting plate and said struts along a further edge of said mounting plate generally transverse to said struts, said plate, struts and receptacle being continuous with one another and integrally molded from synthetic-resin sheet material, said receptacle being defined between layers of said sheet material.

2. A support as defined in claim 1, further comprising a tank formed continuously and integrally with said mounting plate and extending codirectionally with said receptacle while being defined between said layers for receiving fuel for a prime mover adapted to be secured to said mounting plate.

3. A support as defined in claim 2 wherein said receptacie and said tank are adjoining, and said layers are fiused together therebetween to form partition means integral with said plate interposed between said tank and said receptacle.

4. A support as defined in claim 1 wherein said receptacle forms a chamber lying substantially wholly rearwardly of said mounting plate and said mounting plate extends generally tangentially to said receptacle.

5. A support as defined in claim 1, further comprising pedestal means integral with said mounting plate projecting rear-wardly therefrom for securing fluid-displacement means to said mounting plate.

6. A support as defined in claim 5 wherein said mounting plate is provided with integral formations for securing shoulder straps to said support.

7. A support as defined in claim 1 wherein said mounting plate is curved to conform generally to the contours of the back of a user.

8. A support as defined in claim 1 wherein said monnt ing plate is hollow and said layers define between them a chamber communicating with the interior of said receptacle, further comprising reinforcing members at spaced locations within said chamber for maintaining said wall portions in spaced relationship, at least some of said reinforcing members forming pedestals for securing a fiuiddisplacement unit to said mounting plate.

9. A support as defined in claim 1, further comprising reinforcing webs integral with said mounting plate in the region of the junction between said mounting plate and said receptacle for strengthening said junction.

10. A support as defined in claim 1 further comprising a stand imbedded in said mounting plate and extending rearwardly thereof perpendicularly to said struts and forming a standing surface encompassing the vertical projection onto said surface of the center of gravity of said support with fluid-displacement means secured to said mounting plate.

11. A support as defined in claim 10 wherein said stand is com-posed of a generally U-shaped tube having shank portions forming an angle of 90 and embedded in said mounting plate in the region of said struts.

12. A spraying device transportable on the back of a user, comprising a unitary support including a back-engaging mounting plate, a receptacle for a fluent material to be dispensed integral with said mounting plate, and reinforcing struts along opposite lateral edges of said mounting plate formed integrally therewith, said plate, struts and receptacle being continuous with one another and integrally molded from synthetic-resin sheet material, said receptacle being defined between layers of said sheet material and an internal-combustion engine secured to said support.

13. A spraying device as defined in claim 12 wherein said mounting plate is integrally formed With a plurality of pedestals projecting rearwar-dly, fluid-displacement means including a blower mounted upon said pedestals, said support further comprising integral formations for fixing at least one pair of shoulder straps thereto enabling mounting of said support upon the back of the user, and a stand imbedded in said support and extending rearwardly of said mounting plate beyond the combined center of gravity of said support, said blower and said internalcomhustion engine.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,528 5/52 Kempthorne 239153 2,752,200 6/56 Santarelli 239-453 2,958,155 11/60 Emmerich 239-153 3,059,802 10/62 Mitchell 224--5 3,080,269 3/63 Pollock et a1. 264-94 3,084,086 4/63 Roberts et al. 264.94

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,197,163 6/59 France. 1,226,484 2/60 France.

606,440 8/48 Great Britain.

768,419 2/57 Great Britain.

837,369 6/ Great Britain.

M. HENSON \VOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner. 

1. A UNITARY SUPPORT FOR A PORATBLE SPRAYING DEVICE, COMPRISING A MOUNTING PLATE ADAPTED TO REST AGAINST THE BACK OF A USER, A PAIR OF MARGINAL STRUTS INTEGRAL WITH SAID MOUNTING PLATE ALONG OPPOSITE LATERAL EDGES THEREOF, AND A RECIPTACLE INTEGRAL SAID MOUNTING PLATE AND SAID STRUTS ALONG A FURTHER EDGE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO SAID STRUTS, SAID PLATE, STRUTS AND RECEPTACLE BEING CONTINUOUS WITH ONE ANOTHER AND INTE- 